Tuesday, March 30, 2010

American Way magazine hosts a road warrior competition every year or so, and I think they need a bead artist in their line up. So next time I'm going to try to remember to enter.

Today I get to travel home in style with an upgrade which always makes me happy. It is so much easier to bead with a little more room. And I'll be beading! I have an idea that I'm working out for next year's Beading by the Bay class.

It's funny this job, where you are always planning for the future. Right after I finish up the Dallas collaboration for the Bead Dreams entry, I'll be finishing the Beading by the Bay project and then starting in on an idea I have for my September 2011 cruise to Alaska with Carole Tripp from Creative Castle.

Life remains exciting! and if you're a seed bead girl like me, here is an exciting picture from Bead Creative in New Hampshire

Monday, March 29, 2010

Originally designed for "By the Bead Blue Sea" retreat in Cambria California in 2003, Les Perlesde la Mer 'Beads of the Sea' continues to please. The spiky beaded beads are fun to embellish and look great strung with 10 mm crystals and accent beads.

Here are a couple of fun examples completed in Saturday's class. Two of these were destined to become earrings which are going to be stunning.

This is Rebecca's. Rebecca does not enjoy bracelets but is going to pair this up with a fuchsia baroque crystal dangle for earrings.

And this is Cathi's, owner of Bead Creative who also has an earring plan

Mary Anne put together this fabulous color combination and we found some silver baroque pearls to accent her bracelet. Beautiful

Friday, March 26, 2010

Kyle Cassidy posted a photo journal of his weekend in San Diego. My favorite by far, the yoga poses of Jay Whaley and girlfriend Terri. Go have a look! Kyle has a wonderful way of planning his photos and it was great fun to be a part of that.

In other news, I am teaching today in New Hampshire and it's snowing! More like a really wet sleet, but it's white and coming down fast. In just a few minutes I have to walk out into that snow and I'm unprepared. I forget that being wet is a fact of life in most areas of the country, it's such a rare event in San Diego.

Off to Bead Creative where I expect to be tantalized by a huge selection of seed beads and crystals and fun classes!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

March 25th I met my husband in Henry Cowell Park in Santa Cruz. He was adorable, swinging his then young children on the park swingset. We had been minor acquaintances at a previous company so I re-introduced myself. It turned out we were both working in Los Gatos at the time and agreed to meet for lunch on Tuesday of that week. We've been together ever since and it remains beautiful.

On the first anniversary of our first date I gave him one red rose and the tradition was started. Today there are 26 roses in that bouquet and I look forward to many many more.

I continue to wander around the house and take photos ....I'm loving the new lens and the new knowledge, sorting out what works and what doesn't, trying to practice enough for things to become second nature....too dark, open the aperture/smaller number/less depth of field, or use a slower shutter speed/more light.

And I ordered a new light box, a nice neat 4 sided affair which folds flat into it's on attache case. It should arrive today. I'm debating, but I think the new camera won't travel with me. Taking all my beadwork already creates a heavy carryon, so I think the point and shoot will still be my on the road companion.

Here are yesterdays shots.

Miss Maya

Glass Sculpture

Bird of Paradise

Now I'm off to knit lace before getting ready to fly to New Hampshire tomorrow for classes at Bead Creative.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

I took a great deal of yesterday to 'recover' from an exciting weekend where most every waking moment was filled with fabulousness...even fabulous can take it's toll and I was tired.

But today I'm back, and I'm working on The Dallas Bead Society collaboration for Bead Dreams, the Bead and Button Show competition. I had a discussion with some other bead artists and teachers regarding competition pieces which brought up a view point I hadn't considered. The question was this 'Should teachers not enter the competition with the reasoning being it is intimidating to other entrants?'

I hadn't considered this at all and here is why. I've made a choice to make my living at being a Bead Artist, but that does not make me a better or more competent bead artist then the many incredibly accomplished bead artists who are not teachers.

I do however respect the opinions of my colleagues and am wondering if this is a widely held belief. Your thoughts?

In my case I am doing a collaboration. The piece is coming together with the contribution of a number of artists which I love. And I'm thrilled with the outcome...sorry for the tease but I won't be posting pictures until later.

And hopefully with my newly developed photo skills they will be stellar pictures.

Monday, March 22, 2010

I bought a macro lens to go with my Canon Rebel......and now I'm fully equipped to take great shots....well sort of. Thanks to Kyle I have a better understanding of not only the technical aspects of my camera, but also how to stage a good shot. Although I think plenty of practice is in order and I intend to do just that.

Here are the shots I did this weekend. We also learned some essential photoshop tools to improve the shot, these however come to you unadulterated.

A sweet picture of Chalon

Oz, which I'll be teaching later this summer

Aurelila, also later this year (staging by Kyle, but I'm learning)

Abrege bracelet

The weekend was stellar. All kinds of creative people visiting my home, lots of laughter, huge fun, and Kyle took an amazing shot of Mark and I in our living room. It is a beautiful photograph, the kind Kyle seems to do so easily, and yet it is so compelling. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have this shot, a memory of one of those magical evenings that show up in your life from time to time.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

I've spent the last day and half in a studio in Hillcrest, learning to use my camera appropriately and to photograph jewelry.

The workshop is being led by Kyle Cassidy who looks handsome kind and knowledgeable in this photo, all three traits he posesses not only in my photo but in his excellent delivery of this class

Kate McKinnon is also present and has made some excellent photos, she excels at presentation. But here I'll share with the portraiture I did. The light was morning soft and I think she looks like a model wearing her own most excellent metal chain.

This morning we also learned to take people and I've got several beautiful shots and all the kind lovely women who are also taking the workshop. It's been a great experience.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Yesterday I had a travel conversation with a friend which reminded me of the amazing amount of travel I've accomplished. My growing up family never traveled....My Mom didn't like it and with two developmentally challenged siblings, it is something we never did.

And then I met Mark. I think a travel compatibility is an important component of a long term relationship (this month marks 27 years since the first date). We met in March and in May he asked me to travel with him to Hawaii. It was magic for me and we've barely stopped since.

Mark prefers tropical climates, although European cities and most anywhere with a good museum will be on his list. But yesterday as Kate and I watched a sailboat in the San Diego Bay I was reminded of a Tahitian sailing trip (no we did not sail to Tahiti, we flew and chartered a boat there) I remember meeting another beader on that trip, but she had left her beads behind thinking there would be no time. For me vacations are always about beading. I'm so relaxed, with no other pressing obligations....and so I gifted her some beads and she was thrilled.

Can you imagine yourself beading here?

Mark didn't bead, but he does know how to relax

Riding this scooter was a favorite pastime

Loving the flower wreath....and the Tahitian pearl necklace

I also beaded a piece of Tahitian coral and gifted our hostess with this piece.

You know when you gift a piece of beadwork and the recipient truly 'gets it', she cried with gratitude.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Yep, another laceknit on the needles. I fell in love with a triangular shawl that Lisa had at Beading by the Bay and was all set to search out some great yarn, but.....I walked into the Grove, greeted by the new issue of Vogue Knitting, and being as easily influenced as I am

...I fell in love with this summer wrap done in cotton.....

in this beautiful Lousia Harding pale aqua

I've had a bit of a struggle with the pattern, first off, it reads right left, and then left right on the wrong side rows, you need to notice that. Secondly doing a yarn over after a purl is a little trickier, but I think I have it all managed now. There is much beading to be done however, so this beautiful stole will see a few rows of morning knitting here and there.

My Devin Somerville sculpture which I dearly love, and am glad I had the good sense to buy when I saw it.

I admittedly have not gotten a good handle on using this new camera so I am glad to be attending this weekends workshop with Kyle Cassidy. He is giving two photography sessions in San Diego I look forward to improving my skills and learning to take great photos of my pieces.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Oh my, what an amazing time we had! It was all I imagined and more, so many wonderful bead friends, so much amazing beadwork, such talent and camaraderie, I loved it all.

And I do want to bring you pictures of all the smiling faces, I do, but I want to do a lovely little collage of them, and for that I need the real computer, with the real mouse and the real monitor. So tomorrow you shall see all of the beautiful beaders who came, well maybe not every single one, but I did capture many a good photo.

For today, I will show you three smiling and happy teachers

who had a wonderful time and began planning next years wonderful time! Save the date to be published soon, but expect it to be middle March just like this year, more Beading by the Bay!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Here I am in San Francisco, where the weather is absolutely beautiful and today I get ready for Beading by the Bay's inaugural event beginning with tonight's dessert reception and Swarovski presentation. Throughout the day, beaders will be arriving, many I've known through the years, and some I'll be meeting for the first time. And then Jean and Maggie will arrive and my dear friend Susan, owner of the Beading Frenzy, who is co-hosting the event with me, and it's going to be so good!

A while back when I taught my knitting/sewing friends to bead, they decided a portable mat was needed to transport their beads. Judy, the sewer amongst us, took our input and came up with a fun and useful mat which rolls up to contain a project box, and has interior pockets to store your needles, scissors and some tubes of beads. A strap threads it's way through your fireline or wild fire spool to keep it handy.

Well, this was such a great beading mat, that Judy did the first production run with her excellent choice of fabrics! They will be for sale at Beading by the Bay, but we plan on making them available to everyone else soon! I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime, go have a look! They are too darn cute, I like each one better then the next, and although I already own one, I'm thinking I made need a second.....

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

I've been lucky to have my own personal stylist for the last ten years. Once my corporate life was behind me, she decided we needed to give the hair a little interest.....

And she's been keeping me young, in purple and in teal and in pink and occasionally we'll try orange or red. It's fun and keeps me from being bored. My hair has been white since my late 30's and then it was kind of fun, an anomaly, but now my age (and my face) have caught up to the white hair and it's not quite so much fun, so I appreciate the help.

But your hair doesn't have to be white, she does all kinds of cut and color, so if you're in San Diego, looking for some fun new hair, meet my daughter Casey.

I love San Francisco, it may just be my all time favorite city, but then I am travel fickle, I also love Seattle, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, New York City, the list is long.....but San Francisco will always hold a special place in my heart.

I'm originally from Massachusetts, so Boston was my first city. I loved it's historic nature, but also the parks and the water and dare I say the shopping! We would get dressed up and take the train and the subway into Boston. There would always be a trip to Filene's basement and at the end of the day an old fashioned ice cream parlor whose name now escapes me. If my dad were along we'd visit the park and watch the swan boats.

At 28 I moved to San Jose and San Francisco became my second city. The terrain and architecture of San Jose was so different then Massachusetts and I spent many a homesick day, but a vist to San Francisco would feel familiar. Well minus the hills, they were both waterfront cities, eclectic neighborhoods, parks, food, museums and shopping.

Beading by the Bay our inaugral beading retreat with seed beaders Maggie Meister and Jean Campbell is this weekend. And although the event itself is not in San Francisco proper it is in Northern California on the San Francisco Bay, an easy jaunt from the airport with access to many good restaurants and a short trip into the city.

I'm leaving a day early to have dinner with good friends and then the fun begins on Thursday as everyone arrives and the festivities get started. Spending creative time with other creative folks is always a highlight and I can't wait!

Ripplestiltskin takes it's sparkle from using fire polish 'tilted' at a slight angle to capture the light.Mark often gets involved in naming pieces and he named this one. I think it is a tad dorky, but it seems that it makes people laugh so that's a good thing. I'll be teaching it at the Bead and Button show this year.

Lidia created this bright fun orange version which totally lights up!

And I have this brown iris and teal version

The original is a light bright olivine ab, but darn if I can find a picture of that at the moment. I suspect it is on the laptop and never made the transition 'home' to the desktop when I returned from my year in North Carolina.

But at the moment I'm out the door for a few last minute Beading by the Bay supplies.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Man I love this one! That is so often the case that my very latest work is my favorite one.....This is Descending Nights for Beading by the Bay (next week!) and it is a pretty gunmetal metallic fire polish with just a touch of a pale pink bead, accented with purple haze.

It's always interesting to see which will be the most popular choice, the original purple iris with volcano paparadscha,

or the brandied olivine

or the newest gunmetal metallic with purple haze

....What's your guess?

And if you're thinking you'd like to make one of these, there is still time to join us! Next weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Maggie, Me and Jean and many of our longtime students and friends. It can't help but be a great time!